The Artful Dodgers

[@BestWayKilla]

"Moneyball? Hey, now that sounds like a plan! Here's the money, let's ball!" ~ Dodgers ownership

[@warlordofbritannia]

Imagine that-a billionaire doing something not godawful!

[@samuelniesen8929]

Worst part is that they have moneyball caliber analytics; while also having an infinate money cannon. Sucks to be a fan that's legit trying to win right now, and knowing that in order to do it, you need to go through this iteration of the Dodgers.

[@SuperCatacata]

@@samuelniesen8929 Only 2 teams have more top 100 prospects than the Dodgers right now. And they haven't had a top 10 draft pick since 2006.😂 Probably the most competent org in sports from top to bottom right now.

[@johnbradbury8610]

​@@samuelniesen8929what does that even mean. Fans dont win anything. Players are taking pay cuts to play with the dodgers because they know their ownership is going to cheap out. The teams that spend pay a massive luxury tax which the every team benefits from yet some owners pocket the money and keep a low payroll.

[@meligoth]

The best recent description of the effects of moneyball is comparing it to Robert Oppenheimer. Great big brain achievements, catastrophic results

[@ultra0495]

This videos monetization was deferred to 2099 btw

[@mramisuzuki6962]

Google rubbing hands meme.

[@rifleman1002]

>Tree's grandchildren will be happy at the....$200 dollars

[@UrinatingTree]

Unless it's claimed by MLB, then the deferments will be pushed up to 2049.

[@1BUVTHALAW1]

"Ok. How about this. We're gonna keep assembling an all-century team legend by legend, and you guys can tell us when the rings are no longer mickey mouse." -The Dodgers, probably

[@warlordofbritannia]

“That’s not fair!” -“Small market” team fans, ignoring how their owners are also billionaires who simply choose not to spend

[@johnbradbury8610]

​@@warlordofbritanniaexactly, the guy making this video is a pirates fan. He needs to look at his team's owner instead of winning about the dodgers

[@jarcat2268]

@@warlordofbritannia lol not my owners can I get a #NOTMYOWNER

[@jarcat2268]

@@johnbradbury8610 can’t even spell whining correct that’s how I know you’re annoying

[@chaotixthefox]

​@@johnbradbury8610??? He didn't even whine. He said what they're doing makes sense and condemned low spending teams. Do you have ears?

[@lacanm1554]

The pirates lost in their effort to recruit an 11 year old to come to their games. Good luck recruiting any ball players LOL

[@Goldenblade14]

"PLEASE COME TO OUR GAMES"

[@1aml3g3nd13]

How would an 11 year old in LA actually make it to their games? They didn’t recruit him 🙄 Also that offer was on the table months before that card was found.

[@KevinNerfs]

@@Goldenblade14 RAAAAALLLLLEEEEEIIIIIGGGGGHHHHH!

[@brandonkiehl269]

The Pirates did the most Pirates thing ever: They saw something worth millions of dollars, and they tried to get it without spending any money and lost because of it.

[@thatsright4194]

Bob nutting: We're really really trying this time I promise!!! Pretty please someone show up to our games!!!

[@MachinatorReon]

One thing to note on the Lightning: They were one of the only ones to vote to CLOSE the loophole. I think it was 30-2, in favor of keeping it. They basically said, "Okay, if that's what you guys want.." and proceeded to win the Cup utilizing it.

[@N_manMETA11]

They lost to it in 2015 as well. Revisionist history paired with... 'other' black eyes have covered it up very thoroughly but the Blackhawks made use of it with Kane and Sharp that year. Who did they take down with that group? None other than the Tampa Bay Lightning. It's a good rule in my opinion- if you have a player that's not playing, why should they count against your salary cap? There isn't even a rule against 'faking an injury' either; there's embellishment but that's a different thing entirely. If I have a $9 million cap hit and my team needs to bolster up at the deadline, there's definitely a chance I'll tear my rotator cuff reshingling my roof. What's the NHL gonna do, physically inspect every player placed on IR to ensure they're not faking it? Even if you wanted to make it illegal, the reality is... it wouldn't be something you can verify. The one rule you could implement is only make IR eligible for players who were hurt in games, and that brings... just a whole host of potential problems of its own. In the NHL, if you *had* to be verifiably injured, there is a large possibility that a few GMs would be willing to actually break a guy's knee to be "cap compliant". People don't realize how good this rule is until it's looooooong gone and the issues it prevents rear their heads.

[@TheJupiterKnight]

As a Bolts fan this is exactly correct, and them winning those back to back championships (and damn near close to a 3-peat) put a smile on my face. They told the rest of the league when they refused to close the loophole “Okay, bet!”

[@JustJimmy-24]

As a Bolts fan, I guarantee most of the fans bitching at what the Lightning did would be perfectly fine if it was their team. Vegas fans especially were insufferable about this in 2021 yet when they win their cup, crickets. Weird lol.

[@spcoll4348]

To me it's a simple solution. Keep it as it is, but when the playoffs start, your lineup on game day has to be cap compliant.

[@johnturner7952]

“Screw the rules, I have money!” Seto Kaiba

[@HoneyTheFracking]

I think he's signed to Dodgers bullpen too

[@pamoon_]

ah yes wait for the dodgers to send everyone to the shadow realm these next few seasons

[@MSU-DetroitFan]

"$3B has been spent in Free Agency." Meanwhile the Tigers have only spent a combined $30M for a 37 year old Alex Cobb (who said he was about to retire until he got the call from Detroit) and Gleyber Torres each only signed for 1 year

[@ghosttownbound]

Those cheap owners are the problem. Billionaires just wanting a sports team in their portfolio.....

[@Charles_Groebs]

Hey at least your team is spending. My Twins have spent zero dollars this off-season, we need an answer at First and RF, we have zero clue if we’re getting new owners, and Spring Training Opens in 60 days.

[@MSU-DetroitFan]

10 years ago if I said the Tigers would become one of the cheapest teams in the league especially after a playoff appearance I'll be laughed at. I blame the ownership especially Chris Illitch for the Tigers lack of funding the guy is spending more on luxury seating at Comerica Park then spending money so this team doesn't become a 1 year fluke

[@epicchk4319]

@@ghosttownbound Or for sport washing in the case of Saudi owners

[@belacickekl7579]

As a fellow Tigers fan, I'm definitely salty about that too. IMO they need at least 2-3 more high-caliber hitters; last year, the bats weren't great, despite the excellent pitching. Can't play the '24 CWS every game!

[@PurplePaperPrius]

This is why baseball needs a salary floor. Force the "poor" owners to actually spend some of their riches.

[@Kilometers_KPH]

*cries in Miami Marlin*

[@PadresFan420]

Dude the Dodgers non deferred payroll is 500 million. wtf would a salary floor achieve.

[@sokonek1]

A cap and floor. The floor is the average of total revenue from the bottom half of teams. The cap is 3x that. Give flexibility to teams that are rookie deal/arb heavy (like the Brewers) who have a roster that would be valued at 200-250 million but are not paying that.

[@PANCHO15108]

It would force others to spend and make actual offers so dodgers don't get everyone. Almost every team is low balling players. Dodgers pay fair market value. ​@@PadresFan420

[@PurplePaperPrius]

@ More teams would be willing to spend money, reducing the number of expensive players the dodgers would be getting.

[@Damian_1989]

Lesson learned: don't piss off a team by telling them that their ring is a Mickey Mouse one

[@splashnskillz37]

Worked with the Lakers and Bucks

[@adrienchl4265]

And don't let other teams cheat them out of a championship without any repercussions.

[@dankexposed305]

@@adrienchl4265 2 World Series in a row… what are the chances

[@crazyluigi6664]

@@splashnskillz37 The Tampa Bay ones you mean, right?

[@strëtcchxgalorë]

@@splashnskillz37bro the bucks earned that ring wtf

[@WolfDB]

Yeah, the fact that the Dodgers are spending isn't the problem, it's that the other teams don't want to. How many years has it been that the Angels have basically decided to have a team that consists of Mike Trout and a bunch of other scrubs now (the few years with Shohei not withstanding)? Or how about the way the The Athletics have decided to screw over their fans in Oakland by making their fans apathetic only to leave and then immediately start trying to form a semblance of a competitive team? How about what the Red Sox did all of last year, where they decide to spend very little on actually good players and let some of their generational talents they had walk (including Mookie Betts who went to - of course - the Dodgers) despite being...y'know...the Red Sox? These teams could easily afford to get any of the players the Dodgers splurged money on, but decided not to in order for the owners to be greedy and save a few bucks. So here's a message to every MLB owner (or owner of any other sports team): The best way to make money? FIELD A TEAM THAT'S WATCHABLE! Give us some entertainment by getting actually good players and trying to win! Obviously not every team in the league is going to be able to win 80% of their games, statistically speaking, someone's going to be a bottom feeder, but at least try! Anyone will go to your games if you at least make a team that can try and compete, especially in baseball where the experience of watching on TV is boring, but going in-person to a game can be downright magical. The Dodgers and Yankees got the memo a long time ago: When your team is good, fans will spend anything to go to those games. And to teams like the Rays, if you have a team that's at least able to draw in crowds and keep things competitive, your fans are more likely to want you to stay, and thus you're more likely to get a new stadium deal. You know who learned that lesson? The freaking 1990's Mariners, a team that managed to beat the Yankees in the playoffs despite being on the verge of leaving Seattle, and yet they were able to stay in town and get a new stadium thanks to fan support!

[@brownsfan6447]

The angels have always spent money. Just not well. Give the angels contracts to the rays, brewers, guardians, pirates, etc and those teams would be recovering for a decade

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

In my opinion, the Angels biggest problem is that they haven’t had a decent farm since Disney owned the team.

[@SaucyCharmander]

You are right but here’s the thing, they already make money. Look at John fisher and the A’s, you really think a cheap ass like him would still own the team if it wasn’t profitable? He pockets the revenue sharing and tv deals and makes a profit, this move is all about that. The only reason he’s spending is because they need to hit a minimum to stay on revenue sharing (thanks for enforcing that NOW btw MLB…) the dodgers are able to spend this much and still profit, so considering I’m all but out of baseball now, good for them, the bitter fan in me is gonna enjoy watching big market teams’ fans complain about what we’ve been dealing with for 20+ years

[@Wolf-wc1js]

combined with Arte Moreno’s stubbornness to commit to a full rebuild. He wants to keep handing out bad contracts in free agency but the problem is as you mentioned not having a good farm as the foundation for buying players to work. By tearing it down and truly rebuilding, they could have a base to then justify spending money in free agency and then building a contender @@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly

[@TheCybercoco]

Not sure why you lumped Angels in there. They have always spend the money. They just spend it in bad ways and have the worst luck.

[@ngarcia103]

2:44 - you have no idea how painful it is as a Blue Jays fan to find that we came up short every single time. Made worse by our media expecting fans to be happy that we "almost got" those players.

[@ZaKRo-bx7lp]

Even Mike Wilner wasn't happy at all, and he's the biggest Rogers bootlicker there is.

[@ashwinranji8790]

the giants are kinda always in that same boat, and when we got snell, only one season, i'm just praying adames works out

[@ppolow]

even more painful that in 2021 we were on the verge of something great and let our good future walk for coin flips and the inability to hit a baseball while atkins and shapiro still have jobs

[@beckett8937]

People complaining about the dodgers would 10000000000000% be ok with it if it was their team ngl

[@Tonytonychopper-lm1kd]

That’s literally how sports works big dog first time?

[@connorthompson8963]

I mean I would only be pissed if it blew up in my face every season....

[@NK-qn6pq]

It was the same with the 2020 world series. Everyone crying "Mickey mouse ring" would not do so if their team won. (Mainly salty giants and padres fans tbh.)

[@SuperCatacata]

​@@connorthompson8963This was the Dodgers just last year. But now that they won everyone is crying instead of memeing them 😂

[@emfarce]

@@Tonytonychopper-lm1kd you don't speak for all sports fans when you say that. Big dog.

[@BickKuttowskiBiscuits]

As one commented before: they should be called the *Japangeles Dodgers*

[@ogKoral]

“Jap-Angeles, CA” 😭 I found that funnier than I should have lol

[@Sugoi_Senti]

Funny enough in Little Tokyo in LA there a local clothing store where that is the name of their clothing line Japangeles

[@carmacksanderson3937]

​@@ogKoral Let's hyphenate it as "Japan-geles" so we don't accidentally recreate a WW2-era slur 😂

[@ogKoral]

@@Sugoi_Senti California and Hawaii are two massive hotspots for the Japanese, it’s a cool name (as a half Japanese)

[@41Brother2]

Chunichi Dragons

[@hecksters423]

To think this all started with an Anime Shark Girl asking people to take her out to the ball game.

[@a18yearoldonyoutubeluigi]

LA has gone full Japanese, honestly kinda makes me want to visit there if it becomes diet Tokyo.

[@celticwarrior8574]

Gura's legacy cemented

[@SuperCatacata]

Stephen A Smith is fuming.

[@dooshkid]

@@a18yearoldonyoutubeluigi wait until you find out about "Little Tokyo" lol (it's been there for nearly 40 years)

[@acedetective7280]

Hoping Discout Pekora puts on a Braves hat 🙏

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

*As you can probably tell, I hate the Dodgers more than anyone else with a fierce passion no matter if they finished 162-0 and with a title or 0-162.* _However, I agree with UrinatingTree’s assertion that this sport needs both a hard salary cap AND a salary floor: let’s make things competitive and allow the small market teams who don’t have as much wealth to spend on the most elite free agents to actually compete, but let’s also hold these small-market billionaire owners accountable and force them to actually spend money on their teams to compete._

[@Zhanrock]

As a fellow SFG fan right there with you 1. There should be a floor 2. Dodgers doing this will most likely create havoc in the 2026 CBA so can almost guarantee a lockout, which is bad for baseball. 3. Deferrals need a limit, even though baseball will most likely be around in 20 years, having 1/3rd of your league not wanting to spend money allows the 1-2 teams that do want to spend a king's ransom on their team to utterly dominate-- and that long of a deferral allows them to skirt the entire purpose of the luxury tax. If they wanna do it they should be made to spend, and that money can either better the league, or be used to help 'bump' the floor of the bottom-of-barrel teams, if they want to use the luxury tax in that way. Call it karma for the warriors superteam years, but the dodgers situation is not KD deciding to join the team that beat him, it's them offering an impossible to match amount of money to seal the deal on a player who likely wouldn't go elsewhere.

[@pkpnyt4711]

Sasaki got less money and joined the Dodgers. Hernandez could have accepted his other offer, which was higher, but joined the Dodgers because he wanted to come back. Yates and Scott were both available for 3 months, and no one offered them contracts except the Dodgers. No one wanted to give Snell a contact of more than 2 years and the Dodgers were the only team that offered a longer contract. It's not just the ceiling that's the issue, no one wanted to spend as tree said

[@Masterpig69kool]

We need a cap ATLEAST. As a brewers fan, the front office is amazing but they don’t have the money to win in the playoffs.

[@callme_astro2111]

I'd argue a floor isn't a solution either. MLB owners need a new mindset, all floor would do imo would have teams throw money into one player to stay just above the floor. MLB teams need to turn themselves into a destination for FAs and IFAs. Dodgers aren't out bidding for every player they sign they want to go there. Can you name another team in the league that's seen as a destination like the dodgers are?

[@poonking3628]

I definitely agree the league needs a salary cap and and cap floor. Stop the super rich teams from doing this bs, but also force these incredibly cheap owners to actually try to field competitive rosters.

[@warlordofbritannia]

Super rich teams? Bro, they’re all owned and worth billions

[@shoeless1137]

@@warlordofbritannia1) actually Milwaukee and Colorados owners are both not billionaires 2) none of the teams are being paid for out of the owners pocket. It’s all from revenue, which is why high market cities like LA and NYC have teams that can spend $300 mil every year, but that same payroll would bankrupt the small market teams within a year or two. They just don’t generate that much revenue after taxes, labor, and stadium costs.

[@warlordofbritannia]

⁠@@shoeless1137 1) Oh no, those poor 800 millionaires in a group of 28 billionaires! 😢 2) Look up the team revenue and payroll comparisons, then remember the teams are taking in dozens of millions more in parking lots and more

[@Ima_npc]

The NFL has a script, and MLB is just a joke

[@AdderTude]

@@shoeless1137 Owners have to make payroll out of pocket. Roughly half of all revenue across MLB goes to payroll and the rest has to be made up somewhere (media deals aren't nearly enough). The notion that owners don't pay anything out of pocket is simply laughable.

[@Sam-Lusk]

This legit might the most loaded Super Team of all time, which adds even more to the shit they will get if they don't repeat or at least make the world series again

[@MaoistBanker]

Better to have a team willing to spend and try to be a 97 win team every year and fail then be a fan of a team that hopes their 103 mil payroll becomes the 2001 Athletics

[@crazyluigi6664]

@@MaoistBanker *Mariners Or 2002 Athletics.

[@MaoistBanker]

@@crazyluigi6664 yeah I meant 2002 athletics sorry

[@BrotherIntel]

Yeah I don't get it, and if that happens people are gonna go back to saying how money doesn't buy championships and won't care about all those deferred contracts. I seriously don't understand

[@brianchua4240]

Seen the mockery about the Dodgers for the last 10+ years when they don't win the WS but have a high payroll and top talent. Like in 2013, 2015 especially, and 2022. At this point for me, it's nothing new Sam if they don't make the WS and win it all.

[@mattkominsky7308]

I realized something last year. Owners who cry small market are just using that as an excuse to be cheap

[@Sheogorath7676]

Exactly. Most of these small market owners are worth about as much as Hal Steinbrenner.

[@vinnydiaz6959]

The only reason the A’s spent is because they had players union grievances

[@pace5316]

they would have lost revenue sharing if they didn’t spend a minimum amount

[@warlordofbritannia]

Common MLBPA W.

[@SaucyCharmander]

@@warlordofbritanniawhere was any of this energy when they were in oakland?

[@AdderTude]

@@SaucyCharmander Fans were clamoring for Fisher to spend for years. Cheap-ass did whatever the hell he wanted, buying and signing trash-level players, improving their market value, then selling/trading them away and pocketing the money. This is the guy who was responsible for the maintenance of the Coliseum and intentionally let it fall into disrepair because, again, he's a cheapskate. At least Mark Davis wanted to renovate and make a more modernized stadium to house both the Raiders and A's before Fisher sniped him with a ten-year extension (Davis claims that was the moment he decided to take the Raiders to Vegas).

[@SaucyCharmander]

@AdderTude trust me, I’m well aware, I was one of them. If anyone thinks fisher is actually gonna spend now, I feel really bad for them

[@hockeydude69]

Everyone laughed when the NHL lost an entire season to a labor dispute. But at least they have a salary cap *and* floor.

[@warlordofbritannia]

In other words, you’re so salty about billionaires being cheap that you want to unionbust

[@Massachamp08]

​@@warlordofbritannia Some unions do more harm than good and should have their egos and power checked. MLB is a great example of that.

[@warlordofbritannia]

@@Massachamp08 Try eating something other than boots and learn a little history. I suggest looking up Marvin Miller’s memoirs; if that’s too much, google Blair Mountain.

[@warlordofbritannia]

@@Massachamp08 Maybe you should read a little about the history of the MLBPA before spewing billionaire propaganda.

[@vector2739]

NHL is an irrelevant sport

[@dominickconidi1072]

I think it’s important to note too that under MLBs revenue sharing model every team gets around $150m-$200m each year, so the money is there for all teams to field a competitive roster, it’s just that greedy owners keep getting in the way of that.

[@Sheogorath7676]

This guy gets it

[@FIFODavid]

Come on over to the Cleveland Guardians fanbase, Tree. You know the Buccos will either waste Paul Skenes' career or just let him walk in FA. You already root for a team that's perpetually good but every time they face an actual contender in the playoffs, they get absolutely smashed. So what's 1 more?

[@dyingearth]

Skenes will be traded for peanuts. Bob Nuttin ain't going to pay the piper.

[@TheAlfrulz]

This is what happened to the NFL in 1994. The importance of their salary cap wasn't just reigning in the big spenders in Dallas and San Francisco. It was also a salary floor to prod stingy teams like Cincinnati and Arizona to open up. Notice how the Super Bowls became more competitive after the salary cap alongside free agency took hold since the mid nineties.

[@TANK0113]

Competitive? Since then Tom Brady has won seven rings with 10 Super Bowl appearances in total and the Chiefs have won three Superbowls in a five year period with a possibility to three peat (Playing against the same team from two years ago). There hasn't been a repeat champion in MLB since 2000

[@fortynights1513]

After the cores of the mid 90’s for both of those teams moved on a few years after that, they haven’t been quite the same

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

​@@TANK0113I'll tell you what I told the other guy claiming MLB Parity. In the last 8 Seasons, the Houston Astros and LA Dodgers have combined for 8 World Series and 4 World Series Wins. That is a Dynasty in EACH LEAGUE at the same time in the past 8 years.

[@underclas]

The Dodgers only need more Gawr Gura!

[@trvnquillityvii6418]

💯

[@DFusions_]

i had a bad feeling my dad would ask me what is a gawr gura, thankfully he didnt

[@MrZachtheKingsfan]

I feel like baseball fans have the shortest memory sometimes. For the last 15 years, the Dodgers were known as “Choketober” and were cheated out of a WS in 2017. Friedman himself said that this last decade was a failure despite winning one in 2020, so he does what a person in his position should do, and try to put up a winning team. Now we’re the evil empire. It’s a lose lose situation with this team. Either they spend the money and still keep the “Choketober” title, or they spend money and win, and are now having an unfair advantage lol. I should add, I don’t mind if the league decides to go for a salary cap. I’m also a hockey fan, and it does add a layer of GM’s having to be smart with their transactions.

[@TheCybercoco]

Yeah, it's kind of weird that people are talking about the Dodgers like this is something new. I grew up with Dodgers, so I have to at least be a causal fan now (even if my attention is fully on Red Sox now), but winning it last year feels like a sigh of relief after all that disappointment.

[@zgsrandomnesshub7561]

Tree, if the Eagles lose this week or in the SB, the mayor's "E-L-G-S-E-S" misspelling needs to be included in the Congrats vid 😂. Thanks as always for Sportsball

[@buffnerdlife]

Dodgers really saw the Rams go "fuck them picks" and decided to one up them.

[@PadresFan420]

1st Nobody gives af abt the Rams lol. 2nd it would be similar if Dodgers traded prospects for stars not deferred money.

[@noahcoops6305]

@@PadresFan420 Rams are getting more fans

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

Rams play in a hard salary cap league lol

[@dankexposed305]

@@PadresFan420 padres fan? Rent free

[@allelujah1210]

You say that but the Dodgers finally get to pick in the 1st round of the draft this year... twice

[@entroponetics]

The Tampa Bay Rays are far worse for baseball than the Dodgers.

[@roflcopter117]

This is an underrated comment. I always wondered if MLBPA hates them.

[@warlordofbritannia]

Dodgers want to win, and they spend like it. That should be encouraged, not punished.

[@Film-Watcher12]

Honestly yeah i agree with you. Not sure if im a dodgers fan but what they're doing is completely fine. They're not breaking any rules. They're just being competitive

[@byff2323]

Not a Dodgers fan, but to be fair, before they were spending like drunken sailors, they had invested and built a top farm system, raised homegrown talent, and then supplemented with FA's. And now that they can buy the moon...I'm not even mad. Just kinda numb.

[@stallionsLP]

This giga move by the Dodgers will literally only go one of two ways: They either become the new Warriors from the NBA everyone despises for a decade as they claim every soul in a 500 mile radius and win nonstop.....or the next season is such a biblical tire fire and most of the people signed get injured and/or fired, that it literally kills the entire franchise for the next 50 years if not longer. Whichever one they choose, depends on how they do this year. I look forward to coming back to this post in October and seeing which way they go.

[@NK-qn6pq]

well last year everyone did get hurt....and we still won it all.

[@811chelseafc]

People forget that baseball isn’t a sport that you win by hoarding talent. It’s all about getting hot at the right time, much more so then other sports.

[@MarkLac]

The biggest joke would be as you stated that this coming season turns into a biblical tire fire of injuries. No doubt this coming Baseball Season the hate that is going to be thrown at the Dodgers will be crazy.

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

@@811chelseafcbut having talent helps immensely, especially in your pitching rotation.

[@NK-qn6pq]

@@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly which is why it's so good that the Dodgers can get good players in FIVE different ways: 1. Development from within, 2. Signing the "expensive" free agents, 3. Signing cheap FAs and having our coaching staff make them better (Muncy is a good example, as is Teo), 4. Savvy trading (kopech, edman), and 5. Attracting foreign players due to the aforementioned reasons + getting to play with guys like Shohei Ohtani. There's a reason the Dodgers are regularly winning around a hundred games a year, and it's not just "buying players". Lots of teams have done that and failed miserably. LFGD.

[@lmswentzeljr]

MLB brought this on itself, the fact that they allowed John Fisher to run the A's into the ground, showed the other small market teams don't have to spend. I wasn't for a salary cap for MLB, I am now. Gotta have a floor so the cheap owners will spend

[@007TheLife]

Can the Padres finally get a legacy of failure video? Choked away the NLDS last season, Peter Seidler’s passing, and the latest round of Dodgers spending has officially killed us. We’re down and not getting back up. Back to the pAAAdres baseball.

[@monkeyclapper69]

And the seidler brothers are pissing on Peter’s legacy. A legacy of failure is long overdue

[@davispo7550]

As stated in the video, MLB needs a salary cap and a floor, but also needs higher standards for training facilities and food/nutrition. This should also apply to minor league clubs: give those guys a real living wage and pay for some dignified food/travel

[@warlordofbritannia]

“Living wage”? Begone, commie!

[@UrinatingTree]

Treatment of minor league players has improved dramatically over the past decade or so, at least. They no longer have to pay rent or worry about proper nutrition, in most cases.

[@sendAJtospace]

@@UrinatingTree I wonder if the A’s have gotten any better. Those guys in their system were still in the trenches as recently as a few years ago, but idk if anything’s changed over there.

[@GaijinBaseball]

One thing I take solace in is the 2004 Yomiuri Giants Loaded up on every domestic and foreign free agent they could get their hands on, 8 Hall of Fame caliber players in the lineup... still finished 3rd in the CL at season's end. I hope for something similar here.

[@FelipeYoshioCordeirodeSouza]

And they are huge in the NPB, kinda like the Yankees

[@WC6]

kutabare Yomiuri

[@hankarmas]

That'd be like the Yankees doing exactly this....and only make it in on the wild card

[@chinny18]

They're more like Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks dynasty of 2010s than the 2004 Tokyo Yomiuri Giants

[@NK-qn6pq]

Y'all said that LAST YEAR. And despite the Dodgers soon turning into a glorified hospital ward, we STILL won the world series and successfully cockblocked all the "lmao Dodgers choked" memes.

[@vfyugioh]

Never, ever, ever let the owner of your team cry poverty. Every owner is obcenely rich, and can do what the dodgers are doing if they really wanted to.

[@benjamincollum1161]

No they can’t. Dodgers are about to spend 450-500 ish mil on their roster next season, the net worth of the rays owner is 600 mil

[@vfyugioh]

@benjamincollum1161 And this is why deferred payments are a thing every team can do. Don't let your owner cry poverty.

[@AccidentallyDecent]

My teams owner tries to, the dodgers still get everyone so it doesn’t matter

[@vfyugioh]

@AccidentallyDecent Thems the breaks. Sometimes a player wants to sign with somebody else, despite the money.

[@benjamincollum1161]

@@vfyugioh that’s such a shit argument, let’s just say the rays defer 300 mil/yr next year THEY WOULD STILL BE 100 MIL BEHIND THE DODGERS

[@gbalph4]

The Dodgers are the team reviving interest in baseball but it seems they get the most hate even though teams like the Marlins have annual fire sales on their best players.

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

Baseball is not undergoing a Revival. It's seeing a mass exodus of Fans. I'm one of them. I no longer care about baseball.

[@coryarmstrong3365]

Despite this entire video I still hate the Yankees more than the Dodgers. Also I 100% agree with the salary floor. If the cheap ass douchebag owners can't spend then they can get rid of the team.

[@Sheogorath7676]

MLB is the only league in the past decade or this millennium to not have a repeat champion. They also have had more than half their teams win a championship more than any other league. MLB doesnt have a parity problem. It has an owners refusing to spend problem. Seems like most people dont know how to use google to look up what all these owners are worth.

[@catching45]

It's the village wine problem, "poor" owners don't care if the sport overall suffers, they will still profit.

[@AdderTude]

John Fisher of the A's is one of the wealthiest owners. He's simply a cheapskate.

[@brianchua4240]

Sometimes having the salary cap doesn't mean all the teams are gonna be competitive and there's no lopsided dynasties. The NBA, NHL, NFL have had more recent back to back champions than in MLB.

[@Sheogorath7676]

Exactly. A salary cap isnt some panacea to dynasties. MLB has had 16 different champs in this millennium more than any other league.

[@brianchua4240]

​@@Sheogorath7676facts. And I'm not saying this as a Dodger fan, I'm just saying it because the other leagues can be too predictable when it comes to who wins the championship. Since 2000, the NBA has had 1 3 peat, 3 back to backs The NFL and NHL has 2 each currently

[@Sheogorath7676]

@@brianchua4240 Not the Dodgers fault that all these other owners are perfectly capable of fielding a competitive team but decide to prioritize profit instead.

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

In the last 8 years, since 2017, the Dodgers have been in the World Series 4 times. Between the Astros and Dodgers, the two teams that Loaded Up into Super Teams most recently, They have a Combined 8 World Series Appearances. They have won 4 of the last 8 World Series, each winning 2 a piece.

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

​@@brianchua4240The NBA has been rigged since the early 2000s and is widely known as being the most Corrupt American Sports League.

[@andyjay729]

As a fellow Yank-hater, we shouldn't slack off on them just yet. We can have two Evil Empires.

[@E1ucidate]

As a yank fan, holy f*ck leave us alone already

[@TheCybercoco]

"Evil Empires" have to actually win, though. LMAO!

[@andyjay729]

@@TheCybercoco They got to the Series; that's a bit too close for comfort for me.

[@Khaoki]

Reminded me of that Orioles GM saying he doesn't want to spend because he wants to prove that you can win without it. Sure, the Dodgers abusing deferment payments should be fixed but the real problem is that Moneyball has done seemingly irreparable damage to ownership and front office outlooks.

[@bigravensfan21]

When did Mike Elias say that?

[@sendAJtospace]

And the real kicker is that Billy Beane himself probably feels like Oppenheimer for it. The entire reason the A’s went through with Moneyball is to make it work in *spite* of unnecessarily stringent budgets to begin with. Now teams are using it as an excuse, a justification for providing their teams and FO’s with no financial resources.

[@brownsfan6447]

But in terms of pure economics it makes a lot of sense. The bottom 20 teams cannot compete with the top 10 even if they tried. So why spend more when it is far more efficient to play money ball and field competitive rosters that sneak into the postseason where anything can happen?

[@Wolf-wc1js]

⁠@@brownsfan6447”greater for economics.” You mean greater for billionaire owners to penny pinch more. Baltimore isn’t owned by the Angelos anymore. Rubenstein is fine with Elias spending. Elias has what I’m sure a lot of other GMs wish they had but Elias is acting like he’s still working on a shoestring budget for simply out of pride

[@AdderTude]

@@brownsfan6447 "Field competitive rosters." You mean the thing John Fisher refuses to do?

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

Baseball needs a Salary Cap and a Salary Floor. It's pathetic. MLB for the past Decade has been doing everything it can to push Fans away from the game...and it succeeded with me.

[@Scendence_]

The 2020's Dodgers are what the 2010's Tigers dreamed of being...

[@RealTomahawk7]

baseballs answer to the late 2010s Golden State Warriors

[@weakestlink20]

Dustin May's career high in innings pitched is still his 2020 season.

[@NK-qn6pq]

he's gotta become a reliever. His arm simply isn't durable enough to be a starter

[@JRAUSports]

Dodgers fan here, I think he’s the real deal and can be an ace but health will always be a concern with him, he’s this generation’s mark prior, who is our pitching coach….wait a damn minute

[@WestCoastCheeseHead]

People talk about NBA viewership going down but the MLB is right there with the NBA at the bottom of the sports discourse totem

[@ShadowFalcon19]

You need to do a "Congrats, Cowboys!" video on the hire of Brian Schottenheimer as HC of the team with Eberflus as its DC

[@moonjelly5]

Eberflus may actually be good as a DC. Some coordinators are good at their jobs but bad head coaches.

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

As a former Jets Fan that now only pays attention to Football through Tree...that is a Painful Hire. Brian Schottenheimer ruined two very good Jets Teams as a horrifically bad OC from 2006 to 2011. He was what held the team back through those years and we were calling for him to be fired almost immediately.

[@ninersdd21]

One of, if not the most popular teams in football, and they do nothing but lackluster HC hires

[@UHOH_415]

He’ll probably go in-depth on them in the debriefing vid.

[@JokersRWildStudios]

METAL GEAR?!?! 1:00

[@spaciouswheat4580]

I appreciate the sneaky Metal Gear Solid 2 music. Best soundtrack in the MGS series

[@warlordofbritannia]

I’m getting old. I remember when MGS2 was the most hated game in the franchise.

[@UrinatingTree]

@@warlordofbritannia That ending was just too fucky. That's what gives it all the hate. Plus the bait-and-switch with a new character.

[@moonjelly5]

​@@UrinatingTreeAnd the fact that it wasn't as good as MGS1

[@warlordofbritannia]

⁠@@UrinatingTree Personally I think the ending is actually the best part. But the bait-and-switch, I remember that being the biggest reason wayback when, which is comical in view of how much people now love Raiden.

[@UrinatingTree]

They gave Raiden a serious overhaul in presentation, tbf.

[@richie6497]

Honestly they deserve all of it. They're always short on Post-seasons most fanbase make fun of them. They also say 2020 WS doesn't count because it's the mickey mouse series 🤭 They deserve all of this and I'm not even dodgers fan 😤

[@daveatkins3796]

I will say this, Tree, as a point to why the Padres possibly haven’t made any moves yet is with the legal battle as to who is going to assume control of the team now that there’s a fallout between the widow and Pete’s brother. Right now, this team is in limbo for how they’re gonna move forward. Whether they continue going on a spending splurge or if they’re gonna blow it up and start over again. Speaking as a Padres fan, why is it whenever we get good and have a shot at being a contender, it has to get fucked????

[@monkeyclapper69]

Honestly I feel like whoever gets team control they’re not even gonna try to get free agents. Although I will give the widow the benefit of the doubt

[@ashtonevans6488]

Thank you so much tree for talking the business of sports just as much as what happens on the field or court. It really gives so much context to the landscape overall for all of us to understand what the he’ll is happening and even get a glimpse of the future.

[@EyeOfLyger]

At least I feel happy for Freddy Freeman? It's not much, but you have to take what you can get with the New Evil Empire.

[@KingPK]

One "super team that wasn't" you missed: The 2011 "Chicken and beer" Red Sox. They still have to play the games.

[@moneymakinghobo0018]

Also the 2023 padres lol

[@warlordofbritannia]

14 years later and it’s still too soon 😢

[@furioussherman7265]

It's official: The Dodgers are a superteam. The sooner a salary cap and a salary floor is implemented into baseball, the better.

[@thespaldo]

I do think there should be a hard cap on payroll, but at the same time there should be a hard minimum as well. Say about 70-75% of whatever the cap is. Because while I don't think a small number of teams going insane on spending is necessarily a good thing long term, the majority of teams spending next to nothing and crying foul about it is FAR worse. Neither of those things will happen in reality, but if I were making the league from scratch that's what I'd do there.

[@mackyboy4432]

Fuck a salary cap, as an O's fan the owner needs to open the fucking wallet ffs. MULTI BILLIONAIRE MAN, YOU CAN AFFORD IT!

[@kaphizmey6229]

it’s not him, our new owner david rubenstein has said he is actually willing to spend more money on the team. it’s apparently mike elias who, according to a report that came out in december, (allegedly) refuses to hand out any big deals and is trying to manage almost exclusively through trading and drafting. which is fucking stupid

[@scarface1367]

Don't let the Dodgers distract you from the fact that the Blackhawks retained 50% of Rantanen's Salary for some reason

[@paul-gz9zh]

In 1899, four teams were contracted out of the national League, including the Baltimore Orioles for going bankrupt. If you introduce a floor it will be very, very, very low. And the ceiling will remain above the current top payrolls, think 50-500mil

[@warlordofbritannia]

That’s not what happened in 1899. Teams like the Baltimore Orioles were owned by guys who also owned teams like the Cardinals and Giants. Attendance, which was the only source of income for teams back then, plummeted because the league itself was obviously fixed by the owners. In 1901 the American League came into being and was an instant success. Player salaries temporarily skyrocketed as the AL bribed players to jump to the new league.

[@luscorpio3679]

The main reason for the Padres not spending so far is the current ownership dispute following Peter Seidler's death

[@jreiland91]

1. Salary floor and cap 2. Close loopholes around deferred contracts 3. National TV deal like NFL that shares revenue between franchises and keeps them all financially solvent 4. Abandon the current international money pool system, make all players from any country eligible for the MLB draft Even without a hard cap, if you did everything on this list and implemented a floor with a stronger luxury tax that would probably be enough.

[@warlordofbritannia]

Bro thinks the owners are wanting for money 😂

[@fortynights1513]

The ultimate case of a cap could be useful: The Dodgers this year. The ultimate case of a floor could be useful: In 2005, Alex Rodriguez nearly was paid a salary that was as much as the Devil Rays entire roster ($26 million vs nearly $29.7 million for Tampa Bay).

[@jreiland91]

Owners can’t control geography, market size is still a thing. There isn’t enough money circulating in the Pittsburgh metro area for Bob Nutting to keep up with the Dodgers in spending even if he wanted to. He didn’t become a billionaire overnight either, he could easily go bankrupt trying to keep up with big market teams solely out of his own pocket. That’s why revenue sharing exists.

[@warlordofbritannia]

@@jreiland91 Maybe you should look up Nutting’s net worth before making comical claims

[@jreiland91]

@@warlordofbritannia $1.1 billion as far as I’m aware. Compared to $5 billion for the Dodger’s owner. Who also has the revenue of the LA metro area spending money on tickets, merch, etc. coming in. A metro area of 18.3 million compared to Pittsburgh’s 2.6. Maybe whoever granted you keyboard privileges should reconsider.

[@pointschamp2518]

What's their payroll again? Oh ya that's right they have unlimited money to spend with no salary cap. Will never take baseball seriously until they have a salary cap

[@BondandBourne]

It also doesn't help that some owners of big market teams are also the most reluctant to spend and are more interested in bottom line rather than fan enjoyment and bottom line (looking at you John Henry)

[@Extinguisher10]

I could go on for hours about Mariners ownership. What a freaking joke!

[@nicholasmilton7311]

As a Marlins fan, the rebuild never ends it seems. Being a season ticket holder for the Marlins since back at SunLife Stadium and now at LoanDepot Park seeing the stadium being packed for the Savannah Bananas and throughout the WBC, I always hope and pray that I see that from my team. But the perpetual rebuild goes on and I say to myself, “Hope this is the last rebuild…”

[@TheREALwymario]

As an Ms fan I would be less pissed about the Dodgers cornering the market on good players if my team was being anywhere near as aggressive or hungry to upgrade, but fir some reason they aren't. Cheapass owners make baseball unfun.

[@bobmcbill100]

It shocks me that there isn't a salary floor. It's helped NHL parity, in my opinion

[@a-aron6040]

Until other teams' owners decide to spend a little more of their money to acually compete, teams like the Dodgers and Yankees will always be on top.

[@KingBueno619]

Dodgers can become the first team to finish 162-0

[@lukeontheplains]

I just want my Royals to be good, man. They're trying to spend, I promise

[@codenamelarry6518]

Even the White Sox have given out 5 big league contracts this offseason. None are worth more than 1 year/$5 million, but that’s still more than most teams in the league.

[@blakebaker7]

Don’t forget the 2018 Yankees after the Stanton offseason trade. Paper champions destined for a World Series only to not even win the AL East. Same thing could happen with LA this year

[@dankexposed305]

The difference is that the Yankees have had a dynasty* for the past decade and made the WS only once

[@rickyjagodowski69]

Red Sox fan bias here, but to be fair, the 2018 Red Sox were a near-unstoppable force.

[@natecruz7114]

LA won a World Series with historic injury numbers last year. They already proved everyone wrong and aren’t paper champions, they are a literal champions.

[@JonathanAuburn]

Imagine if Hololive ends up being the reason baseball gets a salary cap. Sports is cool sometimes, man.

[@gigaj2368]

As much as I hate the Dodgers spending, I don't blame them. I would too, spend whatever amount of money as an owner to get championship after championship for years on end if I was in their position. Instead, I'm not, and I have to watch my team's owner piss on their father's grave for wanting to see his wish of getting a World Series title, all in favor of the greedy son saving more money for himself cause he's a cheap d-bag (Detroit Tigers fan, btw)

[@rhettblair6186]

Dodgers got clowned for being chokers, shit on and given no justice or sympathy for getting cheated out of a World Series and then pissed on for winning “half a World Series” ring. It’s ironic seeing the people who did that cry about the Dodgers now. You did this to yourselves.

[@brianchua4240]

Dodgers with McCourt: LMFAO Y'ALL STINK!! Dodgers with ownership change: LMAO YOU CAN'T WIN WITH ALL THAT SPENDING!!! Dodgers winning in a COVID season: Pft, you call that a WS championship!??! Dodgers after winning the WS in a full season: IT'S NOT FAIR! THE DODGERS HAVE UNLIMITED MONEY!!!! Those same people really love to move the goal posts.

[@BigGainer98]

Salty Giants fan. You are 100% correct.

[@thesaroscycle_archive]

The Dodgers invented a nonexistent ring just so they could feel better because whining doesn’t win rings. I hate them all and hope they all lead terrible and miserable lives.

[@rhettblair6186]

@@BigGainer98 what did I say that made you think I’m vagiants fan??

[@kylewilson2819]

Tree, we NEED another video lambasting the Mariners. They have arguably the greatest pitching rotation in baseball with 4/5 of them on pre-arb or Arb-1 level deals and one of the best young CF's in baseball (Julio), yet they refuse to increase the payroll, even jettisoning key pieces like Jarrod Kelenic and Geno Suarez just to save money. Then when fans openly revolt, the front office blames THE FANS for the teams struggles and says that "We should be grateful for being asked to be patient." I contend that the Mariners ownership (Mostly John Stanton and Chris "Never shows his face in public" Larson) are THE worst ownership group in baseball. Yes, even WORSE than your Pirates and the A's. They at least make no qualms about being cheap and allow fans to not show up or get their hopes up. The Mariners are FAR more insidious. They don't just want to be cheap, they want to be close enough to keep fans engaged while never good enough to do anything of significance. They see winning the World Series as a BAD THING! This isn't even hyperbole, this is THEIR WORDS!! Stanton himself stated to the Seattle Times that they value sustainability over short term success, even lambasting the 2014 & 2015 KC Royals who went to two World Series and won one of them as being "Stupid and Foolish". Back in 2002, then Mariners CEO and current Board Member Howard Lincoln publicly stated "The goal of the Mariners is NOT to win a World Series. It's to put a competitive team on the field year after year...going after the World Series isn't worth it if we can't put something together that makes business sense." PLEASE MAKE A VIDEO ON THIS TEAM AND HOW BAD OUR OWNERSHIP IS!! The more heat we can put on them, the faster they can be compelled to sell!

[@MrWaifuTaker]

Dodgers are collecting Japanese players left and right like how they collected Hololive waifus.

[@marshalmichelney-bc8qn]

I’m a Mets fan so….i have absolutely no reason to hate on the dodgers. I actually like and appreciate owners that spend big on their teams. That’s a good owner if you are a fan of their team. If not…well yeah I can see why you would hate them.

[@jonsmith1956]

Honestly, I think we should probably hope the Dodgers break the sport and win the World Series every year. Because that (and the decline in ratings and ensuing complaints) may be the only way for MLB to realize things need to change. If the Dodgers blow it, the MLB can say "see there's still parity! It doesn't matter that some teams spend 10% of what other teams spend, we get different WS winners most of the time!"

[@BigGainer98]

MLB ratings actually eclipsed NBA. NBA has actually went down. The Dodgers effect has already made an impact.

[@BC-th3mx]

Only stupid people think anybody wants to see, "parity," b/c it just means all the teams are mediocre. NBA Finals averaged 20 mil viewers during Warriors dynasty, last Finals averaged 11 mil, nobody wants to see a .500 "champion"

[@Beavie]

I absolutely agree. The MLB needs both a cap AND a floor. Both extremes are unhealthy.

[@MikeJr9284]

The Los Angeles Dodgers? More like the Tokyo Dodgers.

[@crazyluigi6664]

Hai

[@shauny2285]

Not to worry, the Padres have given the Dodgers fits in the playoffs over the past several years. If they get past the Padres, then they go to the series.

[@taylorjames2886]

To end an evil empire a small market team needs to go off

[@SuperCatacata]

Best part is how some small market teams get like 200 million in revenue sharing. Yet still won't spend 20$ on a free agent.

[@guyturners]

The Padres are dealing with ownership drama, expect them to flounder badly this year

[@jtfritz9169]

Legendary UrinatingTree

[@JambiPot]

Why would you be mad at teams who don't spend money when the league allows them to still make money via revenue sharing

[@mythicgamer6291]

The dodgers are like oh gotta get these players from Japan faster than other teams

[@matthewshortle5274]

The Dodgers signing Japanese players has turned into the Warriors with KD. Basically unstoppable.

[@Garf_malarf]

Dodgers turned salary cap off and turned sliders up to 100

[@fernandoacosta7423]

Tree is the only sports youtuber that makes me feel seen as an A’s fan

[@TheDetonation]

Being able to defer money, especially as much as the Dodgers have, is beyond a joke. The MLB isn't a serious league.

[@Spiderman-wt8hb]

I was upset at first with the Dodgers, but this vid made me realize something, if other teams bothered to consistently spend, more players would go to other organizations than just the few big ones. They would see other teams as valued destinations rather than pits that don’t bother with a winning culture. Teams don’t even need to spend as much as Los Angeles. Look at the Rangers, Astros, or Nationals who balance high spending with balanced development. Most teams just send their development players to other teams and they thrive there rather than in the places they started. Most owners don’t really care about winning or creating a culture, they just want to have a team for the sake of it.

[@SionBVicious]

THIS is why I love you tree, as a cardinals fan I can't tell you the amount of arguments I've had with my dad as a kid about this. It sucks for every other team but it's like what another goat said "If you can't keep up sell the team."

[@TheJingles007]

Sell the team to the Dodgers?

[@warlordofbritannia]

Awww, poor little billionaire wants public money for a new stadium? Says only then he’ll spend on the team? I’ve seen that classic before

[@Paveywwe]

The Dodgers are making Tony Kahn jealous with how they are collecting all the stars

[@TragicaMagica]

Never clicked on a video so fast! And as a (depressed) Preds fan, based on the Dodgers' spending, I think I know how this might turn out.... Speaking of which, when is that Preds video?

[@WeylandLabs]

Yankees: 102 years of Baseball dominance ! Dodgers: 1 Years of Baseball dominance ! Media: We need a cap on baseball now ! - The hypocrisy is too funny ! 🤣

[@Awolfx]

Tree using the LTIR example from the NHL is a good comparison to the MLB situation. Until the respective owners address the lack of salary cap and do something about it what LA is doing is perfectly legal. The Dodgers can still fuck off though.

[@goldeneve]

As a dodger fan I love it. went from “congrats dodgers 2017-2019 with the music of curb your enthusiasm and Mario final seconds” to “Dave Roberts overmanage 2023” to this. God I love it. Artful dodger awesome vid utree. It’s goes to show you if you piss my team with Mickey Mouse title and chokes we snapped !!!!